Easter Parade

Hi there

When my mother was a young lady (in the early 1900's)  she used to promenade up and down the seafront at Oriental Bay, on Easter Sunday.  Practically all of Wellington turned out in their Easter finery. And I don't mean bunny onesies.

Have a look at the above segment from the movie "Easter Parade" and you'll get the idea.  Even in New Zealand at that time, fashion was important.

The movie is just about my favourite film musical.  I love it very much.

Happy Easter!

Above: Oriental Bay.

Taupo, Acacia Bay

Hi there

I like Lake Taupo.  Last month I suddenly decided to go there for a few days and within one hour I had packed up and left the house.  Taupo is halfway up the North Island of New Zealand, about half a dozen hours' driving (well, my driving, anyway) from Wellington.

I discovered this lovely little cafe called L'Arte Cafe and Gallery.  Its about a ten minute drive from the bridge at the edge of Taupo township.  The cafe has a garden full of ceramic ornamental art flowers and ornaments, the likes of which can be purchased -

On the way to the cafe I stopped off and had a swim at Acacia Bay -

Public Toilet Signs

Hi there

I love signs in toilets.  I showed you that glorious one in Geraldine when I was travelling through there in the summer of 2017.  Now, here's another sign I discovered on my travels last month. -

Kaiteriteri, Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand

Hi there

above: taken from balcony at my upgrade apartment.

I spent a week at Kaiteriteri Beach, on the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park at the top of the South Island of New Zealand.  Unfortunately one day before I left for my holiday I came up with flu/cold/virus/what-have-you that lasted the entire week.

I sniffled, snuffled, sneezed, coughed my way around the place.  I felt so ill, but my holiday was costing so much, I was darned if I wasnt going to do all the things I'd planned on doing.  I forced myself to hike, swim, boat.  Hiking was a bit horrendous as I only had one good eye.  The sea temperature was 21c which was great.  From a boat I saw orca and a baby seal.

I was staying in an en suite cabin at the Kaiteriteri Reserve Holiday Park.  My cabin was about a thirty second walk to the sea.  I loved that en suite cabin.  It had a back and front door, a deck, tv, linen and exit cleaning provided.

There was a mix up with bookings so on the very last night I was tranferred to a very (very) posh apartment that overlooked the beach and was about a 10 second walk away from the sea.

Kaiteriteri Beach is the leaving point for boat trips up and down the Abel Tasman National Park coastline, stopping passengers off at various places so they can hike or swim for a few hours and be picked up at a different beach later in the day, or at the same beach.

There is nothing really at Kaiteriteri Beach except for a tiny Four Square supermarket and two restaurants.  There are rental houses and lodges dotted around but none as close to the sea as the holiday park.

 above:  the restaurant, "Kai",  (Kai is food in Maori) at Kaiteriteri Beach.

The views in and around the National Park are so beautiful.

above:  My Kaiteriteri Reserve upgrade unit was the upstairs front one.  These apartments are directly across the road from the beach.  The holiday park proper where I had an en suite unit was directly to the right as you look at the photo.

Nelson Airport

Hi there

I've just returned from a week's holiday (yes, yes, another holiday!).  This time I went to Kaiteriteri , at the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park, at the top of the South Island of New Zealand.  And there will be more about this holiday In a follow-up blog.

But today I'm venting my spleen over the Nelson Airport cafe.

There are probably about fifty tables in the open plan cafe.  I stood there, yesterday,  clutching in one hand my plate with its cheese and ham filled bread roll and, in the other hand, my glass of water.

Umm ... where to sit?  Every table was full.  But, hold on ...  I peered intently.  There was not one table where people were actually eating.  Nobody had cups in front of them.  I saw dozens of laptops and phones.  Family groups were chatting.  Luggage had been dumped at a few empty tables (the SWAT team would be instantly here if this were America.  Even in Wellington, the area would be roped off.  Eventually.)

I was in such a terrible mood, what with my ninth day of the flu and, yes, more about my flu later. 

I complained about the lack of seating for cafe customers.  After a long conversation the cafe manager condensed all her talk down to "it's what people do".  She saw no reason for my flu-ridden demented giggling when she said that people had to use the tables for their laptops, even when I pointed out that there were dozens of empty chairs in the foyer and what did the word LAPtop actually mean?

In the end I plonked angrily down at a luggage-strewn table, just as a guy appeared from somewhere, obviously highly indignant over my intrusion at his table and my sneezing, sniffling, and coughing seemed to annoy him a tad too.

Come on Nelson Airport, label at least half-a-dozen tables for the use of cafe customers only.